Bell 206B accident near Swisshome, OR
On October 14, 2003, a Bell 206B (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Swisshome, OR. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 14, 2003
- Place
- Swisshome, OR
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 44.063°N, 123.800°W
- NTSB ID
- 20031017X01771
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 14, 2003, about 1045 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206B, N86W, registered to Weyerhaeuser Company as a 14 CFR Part 91 reconnaissance flight for the Oregon State Department of Forestry, collided with a 5/8 inch neutral/ground cable line strung across the Siuslaw River, near Swisshome, Oregon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site with patchy low fog and clouds in the immediate area. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The airline transport pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The flight departed from Eugene, Oregon, about 45 minutes prior to the accident. Oregon Department of Forestry personnel reported that the helicopter was a "Call-When-Needed" rental from the Weyerhaeuser Company. The purpose of the flight was to locate water holes/dip sites for future fire suppression actions. The proposed route of flight in the Western Lane District was from Eugene west to Triangle Lake, then to Lake Creek, then follow the Siuslaw River westerly to the town of Mapleton, Oregon. The flight was then to continue south from Mapleton to the Smith River, then northeasterly along the Smith River back to Eugene. The flight was expected to return back to Eugene about 1300. Department of Forestry personnel reported that due to three separate fires in the Western Lane District since 1999, the District Forester had sometime in September 2003, assigned the passenger the project of "waterhole reconnaissance" for the Western Lane District. The assignment was to fly the rivers in the district and mark global positioning system (GPS) poi
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines while maneuvering. The power line, mountainous terrain with high obstructions (thick trees and underbrush) and the operators failure to maintain a "hazard map" as indicated in their procedures manual were factors.
More accidents in OR
- Cessna T207A, Aug 21, 1986
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- Piper PA 46-310P, Apr 7, 2017
- Cessna 172, Jun 23, 2012
Browse: Oregon · Bell aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
